Mon, Wed*

7:30am-7pm

Tue, Thr, Fri

8:00am-5pm

Sat

8am-12pm

Sun

Closed

*Closed Wed 12pm-2pm

Mon, Wed, Fri

8:00am-5pm

Tue, Thr**

7:30am-7pm

Sat

8am-12pm

Sun

Closed

**Closed Thr 12pm-2pm

Diagnostic Services

In-House Laboratory

One of the most important aspects of any preventive veterinary medicine regimen is the ability to analyze how well your pet's internal organs and processes are functioning. For example, are the kidneys and liver doing their jobs at removing waste from the blood stream? Does your pet have internal parasites?

Laboratory testing at Asheville Veterinary Associates allows us to gain a view inside your pet's body in order to assess overall systemic health without the need for invasive and expensive procedures. We can regularly test your pet during wellness exams or when we suspect your pet may have a health issue.

In-house laboratory testing at both of our Asheville locations provides immediate results which enables the doctor to make a quick diagnosis.

Endoscopy

An endoscope is a long tube equipped with a lighted video camera. Images from the camera are transmitted to a monitor and allows for an up-close view of your pet's internal organs – a view that might otherwise require invasive surgery.

Endoscopy permits direct visual examination, biopsies and foreign body retrievals from your pet's gastrointestinal system. Endoscopic procedures are far less invasive than routine surgeries. This means that your pet experiences less pain and discomfort. Anesthesia is required for endoscopic procedures, but the amount of anesthesia required is far less than what is needed for traditional surgeries and your pet may be able to go home the same day.

This medical procedure not only has advantages for your pet, it has advantages for you as well. Because your pet experiences less pain and recovers more quickly, he or she can return back to normal activity within a very short period of time. Less at-home nursing care is required, no bandages need to be changed and less medication needs to be administered.

Endoscopic procedures are particularly useful in diagnosing and treating conditions in your pet's mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestine and colon. Pets frequently swallow objects that can be removed as minor endoscopic procedures, rather than requiring traditional, expensive and complicated surgery. In order to make the endoscopic procedure more comfortable for your pet, Asheville Veterinary Associates has invested in the latest video endoscopic equipment.

Radiography

Radiographs (X-rays) are extremely helpful for diagnosing and monitoring many medical and surgical conditions and are useful in examining your pet's bones, lungs, heart, abdomen, oral cavity and other areas of the body. An x-ray can spot a fractured bone, detect tumors, help with the diagnosis of heartworm disease or locate an obstruction or foreign body in your pet's intestine or stomach. When used in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures like ultrasound, x-rays can accurately diagnose problems, making treatment faster and easier for your pet and your veterinarian.

Bronchoscopy

Bronchoscopy is a technique that allows the veterinarian to thoroughly examine your pet's nasal cavities, larynx, trachea and lungs. Bronchoscopy is performed using a fiber optic bronchoscope consisting of a tube, a light source, camera and viewing eyepiece. In addition to the fiber optic light source, there are two channels within the tube. One channel is for viewing the interior of your pet's respiratory tract and the other channel is for passing forceps, snares or biopsy instruments, which allows for the removal of foreign objects, collection of biopsy samples and removal of small polyps or tumors.

The most important feature associated with bronchoscopy is that it provides a very accurate diagnosis of diseases affecting your pet's respiratory tract. There are two types of bronchoscopes: rigid and flexible and at Asheville Veterinary Associates we utilize both for the optimum care of your pet. The flexible bronchoscope consists of a long, thin, lighted tube and is used more frequently than a rigid bronchoscope for looking into your pet's airways. The rigid bronchoscope is used to remove large tissue samples for biopsies and to remove objects that cannot be taken out using the flexible bronchoscope.